Someplace Fabulous
by Hayseed Socrates
Summary: What would have happened if Jane had asked Lisbon out at the end of Violets? A one shot.


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 _I don't own The Mentalist and no copyright infringement is intended._

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 **AN: This begins near the end of Violets. During the recent community rewatch, it struck me how close Jane was at that point to asking Lisbon out, so I took that notion and expanded it. I played fast and loose with the scene order at the end of the ep, and the story takes off from there. The POV alternates between Lisbon and Jane. I hope you enjoy it.**

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 **I miss this show so much.**

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 **Addendum: This site has been a (insert curse word of your preference) pain and won't let me copy and paste this document so I've retyped it onto the site. If there are tons of typos and booboos, I apologize, but at this point, I'm done with it.**

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LISBON

Old habits die hard, and after all these years, keeping an eye on Jane was deeply ingrained into Lisbon's psyche. So earlier that afternoon, when Jane carried a large cloth-covered object into a conference room, she noticed. And a few minutes ago, when he headed back to that room, she wondered what was going down. She positioned her curious self so she could watch through the glass as he entered. It wasn't long until the widow of the art heist victim joined him there and only then did his purpose dawn on her. Jane was returning the portrait her husband had painted to his grief stricken wife.

Lisbon moved out of view quickly to conceal her spying. He was always private about his thoughtful good deeds, which made them all the more admirable in her eyes. She waited a few seconds and timed her walk past the door so she was passing just as he exited the room. Jane smiled at her, but said nothing about what he had just done.

"That was nice," she ventured. She was one of the few people - make that the only person - who knew how many things like this Jane had done over the years.

"Meh she's not ready to hear it yet."

"How long do you think that will take?"

"Took me twelve years."

 _Wait. He'd put that in past tense. What did that mean, exactly?_ She was about to fish for more details when Cho appeared.

"Hey you two, closed case pizza in the break room."

"Great idea," Lisbon said, feeling a pang of CBI nostalgia. Cho walked on past, intent on finding the other team members.

"I've got to meet Abbott in the interrogation room for a minute," Jane noted, holding up an index finger.

"I'm gonna duck in here," she said, turning toward the nearby ladies' restroom door.

"See you in the break room. But Lisbon?"

She paused with her hand on the door. "Yeah?"

"Don't eat too much pizza."

"Huh?" Why not? You sayin' I've put on weight?" she said, giving him the evil eye.

"Heavens no, not at all. I'll explain after I get done with Abbott," he replied mysteriously.

She frowned and shook her head as he disappeared down the hall without further explanation. _Classic Jane._ She'd just have to wait and find out.

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JANE

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Jane thoroughly enjoyed watching MacKaye realize he'd been played, and he could tell Abbott shared his own smug satisfaction as the man's face fell. He'd come to enjoy working with Dennis, despite their rocky start. This arrangement might prove to be quite congenial after all, he mused.

"And now I have someplace fabulous to go," Jane said with dramatic flourish as he exited, intent on joining Lisbon in the break room. This intricately planned sting had been great fun for him and he felt like celebrating. He even wondered if he'd reached a turning point. Having Lisbon on his arm all weekend had felt awfully right, even if it wasn't "real." Maybe it was time to stop pretending. Time to put aside his fears and take the next step. A simple dinner date, perhaps? He would do it, he decided, and he strode to the break room with anticipation and purpose.

Jane rounded the corner to approach Lisbon from the back. She sat at a break room table with Pike, and his quick read of the situation sent a bolt of panic straight through him. Pike was going to ask Lisbon out - this was immediately clear to him. And with this realization, his lizard brain kicked in. He stuck his head through the door and tapped her on the shoulder. "Uh, Teresa, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Being Lisbon, she assumed it was something related to the case, and immediately rose to take care of whatever issue had arisen. "Sorry, Marcus. Back in a minute."

Jane ushered her around the corner out of earshot and turned to face her squarely. He swallowed hard and asked, "So, Teresa, do you remember those spring rolls at the _Happy Dragon_ in Sacramento? The ones you really loved?"

"Yes. Why?" _What the hell?_ was written all over her face.

Keep it light, he reminded himself. "I recently discovered a place here in Austin that has undoubtedly stolen their recipe. It's down off Congress, and I was wondering if you'd like to celebrate tonight and sample them. To see if you agree." He ducked his head and glanced at the ground, uncharacteristically shy. "Perhaps you'd allow me to take you there? Tonight."

She picked up his change in demeanor immediately, as he figured she would. Lisbon was observant by nature and had become quite good at reading him over the years. She chose her words carefully. "You mean you want me to go _with_ you."

He fidgeted for a second, silently pushing down his anxiety.

"You don't mean like a..." she started. He lifted his head, jutted out his jaw, and interrupted before she could say the word.

"Yes," he confirmed with conviction.

She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him, and took a step back as if to take in his full meaning. He worked hard to look cool and in control, giving her a forced smile, but he doubted he fooled her. She continued to peer at him as the wheels turned in her head, but her face was unreadable.

Then, miracle of miracles, she squinted her eyes and replied casually, "You know, I do miss those spring rolls."

A genuine smile returned to his face. "Splendid. Pick you up at seven?"

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LISBON

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Jane knocked at precisely seven. Of course he did. Teresa was somewhat embarrassed she'd spent forty five minutes getting ready to go to dinner with a man. But freshly showered, she sported new make up and strappy wedge sandals, and she'd even put on that silky green blouse she knew he liked. She took a deep breath and made her way to the door, hoping she hadn't made a terrible mistake.

She paused and stole a quick look at Jane through the peephole. He still had on that crazy scarf and he held a bouquet of cut flowers. And if she wasn't badly mistaken, he was a little nervous, an observation that sent an involuntary shiver up her spine.

When she opened the door, his face lit up at the sight of her. "You look lovely," he beamed.

She was glad she'd freshened up for him. If he'd been concerned she wouldn't realize it was a date, her appearance had reassured him. She never wore sandals to work, after all. Like the flowers wouldn't have been a dead giveaway, she thought wryly.

She accepted them with a smile. "Thanks. Come on in and I'll put these in some water." She placed the flowers in a vase while he stood quietly, taking in the details of her kitchen. He'd never been inside her home in Austin before. "All done," she said, bringing him back into the moment.

She walked out the door on his arm, and laughed out loud when she realized they were headed out to dinner in his Airstream. "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," he retorted.

When they arrived at the _Beau Thai,_ Jane pulled the lumbering vehicle right up to the valet desk. He helped her out of the trailer door, turned to the man on duty, and dropped the keys into his hand. The valet's mouth fell open.

"Not to worry, I'll make it worth your wile,"Jane said cheekily, and he ushered her in the restaurant door before the incredulous valet could recover.

They settled into a booth and her stomach growled in response to the tantalizing smells wafting from the kitchen. She was starving, but she was also unsure of her footing. It wasn't like she and Jane had never been out to eat together - they'd shared dozens and dozens of meals over the years. But they were in uncharted territory here and they both knew it.

Truth be told, she badly wanted to know what this really meant. They hadn't had a heart to heart talk since that one on the airplane right after he'd come back, and she'd purposefully kept her distance from Jane ever since. She'd worked hard to move on and have a life after the CBI, and she couldn't allow herself to get close to this man again only to have him vanish. It had hurt too badly the first time, even though she knew she should have been prepared. Hadn't he warned her, all those years?

While she pondered silently, Jane busied himself scanning the menu. "Here they are. Fresh Spring Rolls- #326. You're going to love them," he said, pointing at the listing. The waiter brought drinks and they ordered spring rolls, Pad Thai, Green Curry and rise.

"You should have seen MacKaye's face when he realized he'd been scammed," Jane began once the waiter was gone.

"Undercover work is never going to be thing thing, but I have to admit, your plan worked like a charm."

"You did fine, m'dear. And I'm beginning to enjoy working with Abbott."

"Yeah, he's a good boss. I was worried he wouldn't take me seriously, but he does."

"How could he not? You're an excellent detective."

"I am. But I'm only in the FBI because I was one of your demands."

A concerned frown clouded his face. "Lisbon, I..."

"Well, it's true," she interrupted. She took a long, thoughtful pause before she asked, "Why did you come back, Jane?"

He let the question settle, taking a sip of rice wine. "As pleasant as that island was, I...was...I figured out I was lonely."

"What went down with Fischer?" she pressed.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "She posed as an American tourist and chatted me up. It was such a relief to talk in English, but I should have known something was up when I heard Abbott was on the island. She asked me out. We went to dinner. I got beat up by some thugs." He shrugged. "Nothing happened - but it was a wake up call for me. If I stayed on that island, I'd be lost forever."

"I can't believe Fischer pulled one over on the great Patrick Jane," Lisbon grinned.

He nodded in agreement. "Me, either. But it got me back here, and if I could make partial amends to you by helping you get a good job offer, I wanted to do that. Let's face it, it was my fault the CBI folded and your career disintegrated."

"It was the Blake Association's fault the CBI folded."

He took another sip of wine, ignoring her statement. "You're right, I should have asked you what you wanted first. But it wasn't exactly an option at the time."

"What were you thinking?"

He glanced up from his wine and sighed. "I wanted you to be happy, Teresa. That was - is - the most important thing to me."

She angled her head at his admission. That sure wasn't the answer she'd expected. "What made you so sure I wasn't happy in Washington."

"You're here, now."

She glared at him, but conceded his point with a nod, and just then the spring rolls arrived. They did not disappoint. She wasted no time digging in, dipping the delicate roll in its peanut sauce accompaniment, and any serious discussion was quickly abandoned.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, her mouth still full of spring roll. She rescued a bit of lettuce form the corner of her mouth and double dipped the roll, snarfing down the rest of it. "Forget the rest of the food. I just want a couple dozen of these," she said, reaching for another one.

Jane had yet to partake.

"You'd better dig in, 'cause if you're expecting me to leave you any of these you'd better think again."

He grinned, reveling in her enjoyment, and finally picked up a roll.

The serious conversation did not resurface as they enjoyed their meal, which was every bit as good as advertised, Lisbon noted. Finally she pushed back in her seat and rubbed her belly. "God, I'm stuffed. I can't another bite or I'll explode."

He smiled and folded his napkin onto the table. "Then you'll need some coffee before we go get ice cream."

She groaned. "You know all my weaknesses."

"I've known you a long time, and it's a short list."

They sat in comfortable silence as she sipped her coffee, and he, his tea. While all of this was nice, that self-protective voice in the back of her head began to nag at her again. She turned to face him and asked. "What are we doing here, Jane?"

"We're two sated people enjoying the caffeinated beverage of our choice."

His casual deflection annoyed her so she asked more sternly. "You know what I mean. What is this?"

"Whatever you want it to be."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"What do you want it to be? This," he gestured back and forth between them. "You asked why I came back, Teresa?" His eyes met hers. "I missed you." With impeccable timing the waiter interrupted with their check. Jane picked it up as she reached for her purse.

"No, I'm getting this," he said.

She started to protest, but his raised eyebrows told her it would be futile.

"Now," he continued. "How about a walk in the park and a visit to _Lick_ for some ice cream?"

Her resolve faded. _Dammit._ Jane knew her too well.

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JANE

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The valet's eyes popped at Jane's extravagant tip, which made Teresa laugh. Then he chauffeured them via Aistream to Pease Park, where they disembarked for a walk. As they strolled in the Texas twilight, he found himself appreciating the silkiness of her hair and the captivating sparkle of her eyes when she was amused. She was a beautiful woman in every way, inside and out.

So far the evening had been equal parts wonderful and terrifying for him, and he welcomed the current light, casual conversation. If she had pressed him harder at the restaurant he wasn't sure how he would have responded. After settling their meal with a long, leisurely walk, they ended up at the ice cream shop where they shared a heavenly sundae - Patrick Jane's comfort food.

On the way back to the Airstream, they passed a park bench and she motioned toward it with a tilt of her head. He nodded and they settled themselves onto the seat. The air had cooled pleasantly, and there were few things he enjoyed more than sitting on a park bench with Teresa Lisbon.

He was feeling confident the evening had gone well when she took him completely by surprise. Out of the blue, she squared up to him and asked bluntly, "Why?"

"The ultimate question of our universe, Teresa."

She ignored his glib response. "Why tonight, Jane? I need to know." When she set her jaw like that, she meant business. "The truth. Now."

He hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and began carefully. "It appeared that during your time in Washington, you decided work would always be important to you, but you also realized you wanted a life outside of work."

"So you wait four months and then ask me out to dinner?"

"You made it perfectly clear you were making your own decisions," he shot back defensively. "What did you want me to do?"

"I wanted..." she paused, softening. "I'm not sure."

"I was waiting for you to figure out what you wanted. But when I saw you sitting with Pike, it was obvious he was about to ask you out."

"What? No, he wasn't."

"Yes," Jane contradicted calmly. "He was. And you would have gone."

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, bristling. "You asked me out so I wouldn't go out with someone else?" She glowered at him and snarled, "Oh Jane, that is a new low, even for you."

Wait. This had taken an unexpectedly bad turn. "No, it wasn't just that, Teresa," he protested, but his furious companion wasn't listening anymore. His poor choice of wording had apparently lit the fuse to a powder keg of suppressed anger.

"You're still trying to control my life, you son of a bitch!" She shot up off the bench and began to walk away.

He hurried after her. "Look, let me take you home. Give me a chance to explain."

"Leave me alone. I'll get a cab." She whipped out her phone. "I need a cab at," she peered at a nearby street sign, "Kingsbury at...Lamar."

"Lisbon," he pleaded desperately.

"If you don't walk away right now you will be sorry."

He backed up a step and looked at her mournfully, wondering how things had gone south so quickly. And worse, he told himself, maybe she was right. Maybe she did deserve far better than him.

He turned and shuffled away reluctantly, watching from a distance as she got into her cab.

He drove aimlessly around Austin for about an hour and a half, finally parking on the street outside her house. Her lights were still on. If he left things like this, he might lose her forever, even as a friend. What would he do without Teresa Lisbon? He hadn't a clue, and it wasn't an existence he felt like contemplating.

He hadn't come back for things to end like this, that was for sure. If he had to lose her, he needed to tell her the truth. He owed her that at the very least. He swallowed his fear, climbed out of the Airstream, and marched up to her front door.

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LISBON

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Silent TV images flashed before her as she sat on her couch, but Lisbon wasn't watching. Instead, conflicting emotions swirled and battled inside of her. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. But mostly, she wanted to kick herself for letting Jane manipulate her feelings again.

She'd vowed when she took this job that she was done with that. How dare him try to block her having a private life! She punched a couch pillow in frustration. "How could I be so stupid?" she exclaimed to the empty room. She could scarcely believe it when she heard a knock at her front door. No. Surely it wasn't. What nerve. She popped up off the couch and strode to the front door. "Jane?" she called out through the door. Who else could it be, after all?

"Teresa, please open the door." God he sounded pitiful. Good. She hoped he was miserable.

"Why? So you can offer up some flimsy excuse about why you need to control my life?"

"No. Because that's not the truth. If you'll open the door, I will tell you the truth and then I will go away. I promise."

She was about to tell him to go straight to hell when something in the tone of his voice stopped her. She put an eye to the peep hole. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were red. It had been a long time since she'd seen Patrick Jane look this humble.

In the end, her curiosity got the better of her. she would listen to whatever bullshit story he'd concocted and then she'd send him on his way forever. She popped the deadbolt and pulled open the door.

"Thank you," he said immediately. "May I come in?"

"Nope. Say what you're going to say and then leave. I'm tired."

He pulled himself together and looked her in the eye. "I have something I need to tell you."

She folded her arms and waited, skeptical. He must have dreamed up a doozy this time.

"I came back because I realized how much I missed you and how important it was for me to see you every day."

Was this the best he could do? "So making sure I don't have a private life is part of your big master plan?" she translated in a voice dripping with bitterness.

Her barbs landed but he continued. "The thought of letting someone close to me terrifies me. You of all people know why. But the truth is, Teresa...the truth is. I love you."

 _Oh my God._

"You made it clear you wanted to make your own decisions and I respect that. But you need to have all the facts. And one fact I have neglected to tell you is that I love you," he repeated with conviction. He shook his hands in relief. "You have no idea how good it feels to finally say that out loud."

"Jane..." she started but she was too shocked to say anything coherent.

"Maybe it's too late, I don't know. But I needed to get to this point, and you deserved to hear it. The reason I came back to the states and the reason I asked you to dinner, is because I love you. So now you know the truth...the truth of how I feel." He gazed at her with wet eyes, vulnerable and sincere.

He let a moment of silence pass, but she stood mute, rooted to her spot, speechless.

"Thanks for giving me the chance to explain. Good night, Teresa," he said with a gentle smile, and he turned to go.

She watched him walk out to the Airstream and tears slid down her cheeks as he drove away.

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JANE

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Jane lay curled on his couch when she arrived at the empty bullpen the next morning. She was a full twenty minutes early, and the room was quiet. His ears let him know when she sat at her desk, locked her purse in the drawer, and sipped her coffee. The tapping sounds meant she was preparing to log into her computer.

He had to remind himself to keep breathing evenly as he awaited some definite clue as to her state of mind. A braver man would have sat up and looked. He could know his fate instantly with one simple glance. This morning, however, he was nowhere near that brave.

Soon he heard footsteps approach her desk. Heavy. A man.

"Hey, Teresa!"

Damn. It was Pike.

"Good morning." Her tone was warm. She was smiling - not a good sign.

"I never caught up with you last night," he said.

"Sorry about that. Something came up."

"Here's the thing. I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner tonight? Maybe get those pancakes? Or something better?"

"Well, I..."

"If you don't want to, it's cool. But I think you're a hell of a good looking woman and I'd love to get to know you better."

"I appreciate the offer, Marcus, really I do."

A glimmer of hope welled up inside Jane.

Then she finished, "But I'm already dating someone."

A honey-like warmth began in his gut and spread throughout his entire body, bringing him both relief and exhilaration.

"Ah, well, not surprised. Had to give it a shot."

"You seem like a great guy, Marcus. I'm flattered."

A phone buzzed. "Excuse me," said Pike. After a cryptic phone conversation, he spoke to her again. "I'm sorry, I gotta go - new case already. I really enjoyed working with you."

"Me, too, Marcus."

After the footsteps receded, Jane couldn't keep the smile off his face any longer. Her chair squeaked as she spun around toward him. He kept his eyes closed, but his smile widened to a full out grin.

There was a crunch - a wadded up piece of paper? Then a whoosh. He winced dramatically when the ball of paper hit his leg.

"I hope I don't regret this," she said with a resigned sigh.

He finally opened his eyes and found hers. His smile had turned solemn. "Teresa, I will do everything in my power to prevent that," he replied quietly. It was a promise.

She allowed his words to settle into her bones and then twisted around to face her computer again. "Good," she said as she typed her password into her computer.

Glowing with happiness, Jane snuggled down into his couch for a long nap. He would contemplate this evening's plans later, but right how he was exhausted - he hadn't slept at all. Besides, he reflected as sleep claimed him, no matter where they went tonight, if he was with her, it would be someplace fabulous.

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Thanks for reading.

Hayseed


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